Path processing method and apparatus, and terminal

ABSTRACT

This application discloses a path processing method and apparatus, and a terminal. In the path processing method, user equipment may determine, based on connection parameter information corresponding to at least one existing packet data network (PDN) connection, whether a target PDN connection satisfying a target connection condition exists in the at least one existing PDN connection. When the target PDN connection satisfying the target connection condition exists, the user equipment may transmit a service packet by using the target PDN connection. When the target PDN connection satisfying the target connection condition does not exist, the user equipment may initiate establishment of the target PDN connection, to transmit a service packet by using the established target PDN connection. As can be learned, when transmitting the service packet, the user equipment may transmit the service packet by using the target PDN connection satisfying the target connection condition.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Application No.PCT/CN2015/099165, filed on Dec. 28, 2015, the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of communicationstechnologies, and in particular, to a path processing method andapparatus, and a terminal.

BACKGROUND

A core network is an important part of an evolved packet system (EPS).Key logical network elements of a core network may include a mobilitymanagement entity (MME), a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data networkgateway (P-GW), a home subscriber server (HSS), and the like. The P-GWis a gateway connected to an external data network, and is a user planeanchor between an access network and a non-access network. To bespecific, user equipment may establish a packet data network (PDN)connection by using the P-GW, to access the external data network. Whenthe user equipment moves, an IP address and uplink and downlink paths ofthe user equipment need to be anchored at a forwarding plane device suchas the P-GW, to ensure service continuity when a user moves.

However, it is found in practice that when user equipment moves, servicepacket transmission paths of the user equipment need to be anchored at asource forwarding plane network element, leading to long uplink anddownlink paths and a relatively long network latency. As communicationstechnologies develop, broadband access technologies for user equipment,such as wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi), Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX), and a third-generation or fourth-generationmobile communications technology 3G/4G, have made significant progress.In addition, an EPS system also supports a plurality of PDN connectionsbetween user equipment and a PDN network, allowing the user equipment tohave a plurality of PDN connections to a target node at the same time.However, for user equipment having a plurality of PDN connections, howto select a proper PDN connection from the plurality of PDN connectionsto improve service packet transmission quality is a problem thaturgently needs to be resolved.

SUMMARY

This application discloses a path processing method and apparatus, and aterminal, to select a proper PDN connection for user equipment toimprove service packet transmission quality.

According to a first aspect, this application discloses a pathprocessing method. In the method, a user equipment may determine, basedon connection parameter information corresponding to at least oneexisting PDN connection, whether a target PDN connection satisfying atarget connection condition exists in the at least one existing PDNconnection. When the target PDN connection satisfying the targetconnection condition exists, the user equipment may transmit a servicepacket by using the target PDN connection. When the target PDNconnection satisfying the target connection condition does not exist,the user equipment initiates establishment of the target PDN connectionsatisfying the target connection condition, to transmit a service packetby using the established target PDN connection.

When a handover is caused by movement of the user equipment, or when theuser equipment initiates a new service flow, the user equipment mayselect, by using the path processing method according to the firstaspect, the target PDN connection satisfying the target connectioncondition, and perform transmission by using the target PDN connection,thereby reducing a service transmission latency, improving servicetransmission quality, and so on.

According to the first aspect, in a first possible implementation of thefirst aspect, the connection parameter information of the PDN connectionmay include at least one of a location area, a service featureindicator, and a priority. The priority of the PDN connection is apriority of a PDN connection selected as the target PDN connection. Thelocation area of the PDN connection may be represented by using a cellidentifier list, a physical location range, an area identifier list, aroute distinguisher list, a forwarding identifier list, a base stationidentifier list, or the like. The service feature indicator of the PDNconnection may include a transmission latency, a packet loss rate, andthe like of the PDN connection.

According to the first aspect or the first possible implementation ofthe first aspect, in a second possible implementation of the firstaspect, the target PDN connection satisfying the target connectioncondition may satisfy one or more of the following conditions: alocation area corresponding to the target PDN connection is or includesa current location of the user equipment; a service feature indicatorcorresponding to the target PDN connection satisfies a service featurecondition required by a service flow; and the target PDN connection hasa highest priority.

According to the first aspect or the first or the second possibleimplementation of the first aspect, in a third possible implementationof the first aspect, the connection parameter information correspondingto the at least one existing packet data network PDN connection isobtained from a control plane network element in a process ofestablishing each PDN connection, or is obtained from a broadcastmessage of a wireless access point, or is obtained by the user equipmentfrom an access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) server.

According to any one of the first aspect or the first to the thirdpossible implementations of the first aspect, in a fourth possibleimplementation of the first aspect, the initiating, by the userequipment, establishment of the target PDN connection satisfying thetarget connection condition may be: sending, by the user equipment, aPDN connection establishment request to the control plane networkelement. The PDN connection establishment request may include thecurrent location of the user equipment, and the current location of theuser equipment is used to select a forwarding plane network element. Theservice transmission condition or the service transmission quality suchas a transmission latency and a packet loss rate required by the serviceflow can also be satisfied by transmitting the service packet by usingthe established target PDN connection.

According to a second aspect, this application further discloses a pathprocessing apparatus. The apparatus may include: a determining module,configured to determine, based on connection parameter informationcorresponding to at least one existing PDN connection, whether a targetPDN connection satisfying a target connection condition exists in the atleast one existing PDN connection; and a communications module,configured to: when the target PDN connection satisfying the targetconnection condition exists, transmit a service packet by using thetarget PDN connection. The communications module is further configuredto: when the target PDN connection satisfying the target connectioncondition does not exist, initiate establishment of the target PDNconnection satisfying the target connection condition, to transmit aservice packet by using the established target PDN connection. Thetarget connection condition may be preconfigured in the path processingapparatus. The path processing apparatus may alternatively include othermodules or units, and executes any one or more of the steps orimplementations of the path processing method disclosed in the firstaspect.

According to a third aspect, this application further discloses userequipment. The user equipment may include a processor, a memory, and acommunications interface. The processor is configured to determine,based on connection parameter information corresponding to at least oneexisting PDN connection, whether a target PDN connection satisfying atarget connection condition exists in the at least one existing PDNconnection. The memory is configured to store the connection parameterinformation corresponding to the at least one existing PDN connection.The processor is further configured to: when the target PDN connectionsatisfying the target connection condition exists, transmit a servicepacket by using the communications interface and the target PDNconnection. The processor is further configured to: when the target PDNconnection satisfying the target connection condition does not exist,initiate, by using the communications interface, establishment of thetarget PDN connection satisfying the target connection condition, totransmit a service packet by using the established target PDNconnection. The target connection condition may be preconfigured in theuser equipment. The user equipment may further execute any one or moreof the steps or implementations of the path processing method disclosedin the first aspect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure more clearly, the following briefly describes theaccompanying drawings required for describing the embodiments.Apparently, the accompanying drawings in the following description showmerely some embodiments of the present disclosure, and a person ofordinary skill in the art may still derive other drawings from theseaccompanying drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a service flow transmission path afteruser equipment moves according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture with a pluralityof PDN connections according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a path processing method according toan embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a path processing apparatusaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of user equipment according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following clearly describes the technical solutions in theembodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Apparently, thedescribed embodiments are merely a part rather than all of theembodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained bya person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of thepresent disclosure without creative efforts shall fall within theprotection scope of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a service flowtransmission path after a user equipment moves according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The user equipment shown in FIG. 1may be any mobile or portable electronic device, including, but notlimited to, a mobile phone, a mobile computer, a tablet computer, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a media player, a smart television, ora combination of two or more of the foregoing devices. This is notlimited in this embodiment of the present disclosure. A forwarding planenetwork element shown in FIG. 1 may include a S-GW, a P-GW, or aforwarding plane network element of the S-GW/P-GW. The S-GW is a dataanchor in an access network, is configured to route and forward packetdata, and is an anchor for local mobility management. The P-GW is agateway connected to an external data network, and is a user planeanchor between an access network and a non-access network. The userequipment needs to establish a PDN connection by using a forwardingplane device, to access external packet data networks. The packet datanetworks may be the Internet, a virtual private network, an IPmultimedia service network, a Wireless Application Protocol networkprovided by an operator, or the like. The forwarding plane networkelement of the S-GW/P-GW is a logical unit having a forwarding planefunction after control and forwarding of the S-GW/P-GW are separated,and is configured to forward a user packet. As shown in FIG. 1, serviceflow transmission paths for transmitting service packets when the userequipment moves need to be anchored at a source forwarding plane networkelement (that is, a forwarding plane network element 1) at which aservice flow transmission path is anchored before movement. That is, aservice packet needs to be transmitted to a PDN network by using theforwarding plane network element 2 and the forwarding plane networkelement 1. Consequently, after movement, a service flow path initiatedby using the PDN connection is relatively long, and service transmissionquality is poor.

To resolve the foregoing problem, an EPS system supports a plurality ofPDN connections between the user equipment and a PDN network, and aservice packet may be migrated to a proper PDN connection to reduce anetwork latency and improve service transmission quality. Referring toFIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture with aplurality of PDN connections according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the system architecture with a pluralityof PDN connections includes a user equipment, a wireless access pointassociated with the user equipment at a current location (where thewireless access point includes at least one of a 3G wireless accesspoint 1, a 4G wireless access point 2, or a Wi-Fi wireless access point3), a control plane network element, a forwarding plane network element1, a forwarding plane network element 2, and the like. The wirelessaccess point is a device providing wireless access for the userequipment, and includes, but is not limited to, a base station in 3G/4G,Long Term Evolution (LTE) of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System,or WiMAX, or wireless access point in Wi-Fi. The control plane networkelement is configured to be responsible for performing mobilitymanagement in a mobile network and allocating a forwarding plane devicehaving an optimal path for each PDN connection. The control planenetwork element may include some functions of a MME and a mobile gatewaycontroller and the like. The forwarding plane network element isconfigured to provide IP address anchoring for the user equipment andis, for example, a physical or virtual forwarding device such as a P-GW,a router, or a switch. As shown in FIG. 2, the user equipment mayestablish a plurality of PDN connections by using a same forwardingplane network element or a plurality of forwarding plane networkelements, to access a PDN network. Each of the plurality of PDNconnections is a communication connection used by the user equipment toaccess the PDN network based on one IP address. The plurality of PDNconnections enable the user equipment to simultaneously have a pluralityof paths to a target node, for example, a path 1 based on a PDNconnection 1, a path 2 based on a PDN connection 2, a path 3 based on aPDN connection 3, and a path 4 based on a PDN connection 4. However, foruser equipment having a plurality of PDN connections, how to select aproper PDN connection to optimize a service transmission path andimprove service transmission quality is a problem that urgently needs tobe resolved.

To resolve the foregoing problem, an embodiment of the presentdisclosure discloses a path processing method, to select a proper PDNconnection for user equipment to optimize a service transmission pathand improve service transmission quality. Details descriptions areprovided below.

Referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a pathprocessing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.As shown in FIG. 3, the path processing method may include the followingsteps:

S101: The user equipment determines, based on connection parameterinformation corresponding to at least one existing packet data networkPDN connection, whether a target PDN connection satisfying a targetconnection condition exists in the at least one existing PDN connection.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, when a handover is causedby movement of the user equipment, the user equipment may perform stepsS101 to S104 to select a proper path for a service flow that is beingtransmitted by the user equipment, to reduce a service packettransmission latency; or when the user equipment initiates a new serviceflow, which may also be a service sub-flow initiated by the userequipment before the mobile handover, the user equipment may performsteps S101 to S104 to select a proper path for the new service flow, toreduce a service packet transmission latency. The handover caused bymovement of the user equipment includes a cell handover in a cellularnetwork such as a 3G/4G network, a wireless access point handover in aWi-Fi or WiMAX network, and the like. This is not limited in thisembodiment of the present disclosure.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the connection parameterinformation corresponding to the existing PDN connection includes atleast one of a service feature indicator that the PDN connection cansatisfy, a location area corresponding to the PDN connection, or apriority corresponding to the PDN connection. The priority is used toindicate that when there are a plurality of PDN connections satisfyingthe target connection condition, a target PDN connection is selectedbased on the priority.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the connection parameterinformation corresponding to the PDN connection is obtained from acontrol plane network element in a process of establishing each PDNconnection, or is obtained from a broadcast message of a base station,or is obtained from an access network discovery and selection function(ANDSF) server. For example, the obtaining of the connection parameterinformation from the control plane network element in the process ofestablishing each PDN connection may include the following steps: Theuser equipment sends a connection establishment request to a wirelessaccess point (for example, a base station in 3G/4G, LTE, or WiMAX, or awireless access point in Wi-Fi). The connection establishment requestincludes current location information of the user equipment (forexample, a cell identifier, a base station identifier, or a physicallocation identifier for positioning). The wireless access point sendsthe connection establishment request to the control plane networkelement. After receiving the connection establishment request, thecontrol plane network element selects, for the user equipment based on alocation indicated by the current location information of the userequipment and service ranges of forwarding plane network elements, aforwarding plane network element that has an optimal path and thatsatisfies a feature condition of a service to be transmitted by usingthe connection, and determines location area information of theconnection (where a location range indicated by the location areainformation includes the location indicated by the current locationinformation of the user equipment). The control plane network element orthe forwarding plane device may assign, to the connection, a PDNconnection address anchored at the forwarding plane device. The controlplane network element sends a connection establishment response messageto the wireless access point. The connection establishment responsemessage includes the connection parameter information of the connection.The connection parameter information of the connection uses an IPaddress as an index, and is for example, any one or more of the locationarea information, a service feature indicator that satisfies the featurecondition of the service to be transmitted by using the connection, or apriority.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the connection parameterinformation corresponding to the PDN connection may be stored in theuser equipment in a form of a relational table. Alternatively, acorrespondence between the PDN connection and the location areainformation may be implemented in another manner, for example, by usinga hash algorithm. Table 1 is a relational table of connection parameterinformation corresponding to a plurality of PDN connections that isdetermined by user equipment according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As shown in Table 1, in the relational table, an IP addressof each PDN connection is used as an index. The IP address is a logicaladdress that is assigned when the PDN connection is established or thatis used to access a network. Each PDN connection uses an IP address asan index. A location area of each PDN connection, a service featureindicator such as a latency and a packet loss rate that each PDNconnection can satisfy, and a priority of each PDN connection arecorrespondingly stored. The location area is an area to which the PDNconnection is applicable, and may be represented by using a cellidentifier list, a physical location range, an area identifier list, aroute distinguisher list, a forwarding identifier list, a base stationidentifier list, or the like.

TABLE 1 Relational table IP₁ Location area 1 Service feature indicator 1Priority 1 IP₂ Location area 2 Service feature indicator 2 Priority 2IP₃ Location area 3 Service feature indicator 3 Priority 3 IP₄ Locationarea 4 Service feature indicator 4 Priority 4

S102: When the target PDN connection satisfying the target connectioncondition exists, the user equipment transmits a service packet by usingthe target PDN connection.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the target connectioncondition may be preconfigured in the user equipment. The targetconnection condition may include at least one of the following: alocation area corresponding to the PDN connection includes or is acurrent location of the user equipment; a service feature indicator ofthe PDN connection satisfies a service feature condition required by theservice flow; and the PDN connection has a highest priority. The servicefeature condition may be a QCI (QoS Class Identifier) value such as amaximum latency and packet loss rate required by the service flow. TheQCI value is used for measuring a particular packet forwarding behaviorprovided for the service flow. If a base station identifier list of thelocation area of the PDN connection includes a current base stationidentifier of the user equipment, it indicates that the location area ofthe PDN connection includes the current location of the user equipment.Similarly, if a location area indicated by physical location informationof the PDN connection is or includes a location indicated by physicallocation information obtained by the user equipment by positioning, itindicates that the location area of the PDN connection includes thecurrent location of the user equipment.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the service packettransmitted by the user equipment by using the target PDN connection maybe a packet of a service flow initiated by the user equipment before themobile handover, or may be a packet of a new service flow initiated by auser equipment after the mobile handover. This is not limited in thisembodiment of the present disclosure.

S103: When the target PDN connection satisfying the target connectioncondition does not exist, the user equipment initiates establishment ofthe target PDN connection satisfying the target connection condition, totransmit a service packet by using the established target PDNconnection.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, that the user equipmentinitiates establishment of the target PDN connection satisfying thetarget connection condition includes the following steps:

The user equipment sends a PDN connection establishment request to thecontrol plane network element by using the current base station. The PDNconnection establishment request includes the current location and/orthe service feature condition of the user equipment. The control planenetwork element selects a forwarding plane network element for the userequipment based on the current location and/or the service featurecondition of the user equipment. The forwarding plane network element orthe control plane network element assigns an IP address to the PDNconnection. Correspondingly, the user equipment may receive a PDNconnection establishment response message returned by the control planenetwork element by using the base station. The PDN connectionestablishment response message includes the IP address of the PDNconnection, and may further include at least one of the location area,the service feature indicator, and the priority corresponding to the PDNconnection.

As can be learned, in the path processing method shown in FIG. 3, theuser equipment determines, based on the connection parameter informationcorresponding to the at least one existing PDN connection, whether theat least one existing PDN connection includes the target PDN connectionsatisfying the target connection condition; when the target PDNconnection satisfying the target connection condition exists, the userequipment may transmit the service packet by using the target PDNconnection; or when the target PDN connection satisfying the targetconnection condition does not exist, the user equipment may initiateestablishment of the target PDN connection satisfying the targetconnection condition, to transmit the service packet by using theestablished target PDN connection. As can be learned, in this embodimentof the present disclosure, when the service packet is transmitted, theservice packet may be transmitted by using the target PDN connectionsatisfying the target connection condition, thereby reducing a servicetransmission latency, improving service transmission quality, and so on.

For example, a plurality of PDN connections maintained by the userequipment after a mobile handover are shown in FIG. 2. Before thehandover, a service packet of a service flow of the user equipment istransmitted by using the PDN connection 2 in FIG. 2. After the handover,the user equipment may determine to use the PDN connection 3 for servicetransmission of the service flow by using the path processing method inthis embodiment. Because the PDN connection 3 may directly connect to aPDN network by using a forwarding plane device 3, a service transmissionlatency of the service flow is reduced. When the user equipmentinitiates a new service flow, PDN connections satisfying the targetconnection condition that the location area corresponding to the PDNconnection is or includes the current location of the user equipmentinclude the PDN connection 3 and the PDN connection 4. In the PDNconnection 3 and the PDN connection 4, the PDN connection 4 satisfiesthe target connection condition that the service feature indicatorcorresponding to the PDN connection satisfies a service featurecondition required by the new service flow or the PDN connection has arelatively high priority. The user equipment may perform service packettransmission for the new service flow by using the PDN connection 4, toreach service transmission quality such as a transmission latency or apacket loss rate required by the new service flow. Optionally, ifneither of the service feature indicators corresponding to the PDNconnection 3 and the PDN connection 4 satisfies the service featurecondition required by the new service flow, the user equipment mayestablish, by sending a connection establishment request to the controlplane network element, the target PDN connection satisfying the targetconnection condition, and transmit the service packet by using theestablished target PDN connection, to reach service transmission qualitysuch as a transmission latency or a packet loss rate required by the newservice flow.

Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a pathprocessing apparatus according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, the path processing apparatus mayinclude a determining module 210 and a communications module 220.

The determining module 210 is configured to determine, based onconnection parameter information corresponding to at least one existingPDN connection, whether a target PDN connection satisfying a targetconnection condition exists in the at least one existing PDN connection.

The communications module 220 is configured to: when the target PDNconnection satisfying the target connection condition exists, transmit aservice packet by using the target PDN connection.

The communications module 220 is further configured to: when the targetPDN connection satisfying the target connection condition does notexist, initiate establishment of the target PDN connection satisfyingthe target connection condition, to transmit a service packet by usingthe established target PDN connection.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the connection parameterinformation may include at least one of a location area, a servicefeature indicator, and a priority. The priority is a priority of a PDNconnection selected as the target PDN connection. The target PDNconnection satisfying the target connection condition satisfies one ormore of the following conditions: a location area corresponding to thetarget PDN connection is or includes a current location of the userequipment of the path processing apparatus; a service feature indicatorcorresponding to the target PDN connection satisfies a service featurecondition required by a service flow; and the target PDN connection hasa highest priority.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the connection parameterinformation corresponding to the at least one existing PDN connection isobtained from a control plane network element in a process ofestablishing each PDN connection, or is obtained from a broadcastmessage of a wireless access point, or is obtained by the user equipmentof the path processing apparatus from an access network discovery andselection function (ANDSF) server.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, that the communicationsmodule 220 initiates establishment of the target PDN connectionsatisfying the target connection condition may be for example: thecommunications module 220 sends a PDN connection establishment requestto the control plane network element. The PDN connection establishmentrequest includes the current location of the user equipment, and thecurrent location of the user equipment is used to select a forwardingplane network element. The PDN connection establishment request mayfurther include a service feature condition required by the serviceflow.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the path processingapparatus may execute any one or more of the steps or implementations ofthe path processing method shown in FIG. 3. This is not limited in thisembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a userequipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shownin FIG. 5, the user equipment may include a processor 310, a memory 320,and a communications interface 330. A person skilled in the art mayunderstand that the structure of the user equipment shown in FIG. 5 doesnot constitute a limitation to the present disclosure. The userequipment may be a bus structure or a star structure, and may includemore or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or somecomponents may be combined, or a different component deployment may beused.

In an implementation of the present disclosure, the processor 310 is acontrol center of the user equipment, and connects various parts of theuser equipment using various interfaces and circuits. The processor runsor executes a software program and/or module stored in a storage unit,and invokes data stored in the storage unit, to perform variousfunctions and/or data processing of an electronic device. The processor310 may include an integrated circuit (IC), for example, may include asingle packaged IC, or may include a plurality of packaged ICs havingsame or different functions that are connected. For example, theprocessor 310 may include only a central processing unit (CPU), or maybe a combination of a GPU, a digital signal processor (DSP), and acontrol core (for example, a baseband core) of a communications unit. Inan implementation of the present disclosure, the CPU may include asingle computing core, or may include a plurality of computing cores.

In an implementation of the present disclosure, the memory 320 may beconfigured to store a software program and module. The processor 310runs the software program and module stored in the memory 320, toimplement various functional applications and data processing of theuser equipment. The memory 320 mainly includes a program storage areaand a data storage area. The program storage area may store an operatingsystem and an application program required by at least one function,such as a path processing program. The data storage area may store datacreated based on use of the user equipment, and the like. In a specificimplementation of the present disclosure, the memory 320 may include avolatile memory, for example, a nonvolatile random access memory (NVRAMfor short), a phase change random access memory (PRAM), amagnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), or the like, and mayfurther include a non-volatile memory, for example, at least onemagnetic disk storage device, an electrically erasable programmableread-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory device such as a NOR flashmemory or a NAND flash memory. The non-volatile memory stores anoperating system and an application program executed by a processingunit. The processor 310 loads a running program and data from thenon-volatile memory to a memory, and stores digital content in a massstorage apparatus. The operating system includes various componentsand/or drives that are configured to control and manage routine systemtasks such as memory management, storage device control, and powersupply management, and that facilitate communication between varioussoftware and hardware. In an implementation of the present disclosure,the operating system may be an Android™ system developed by Google, aniOS™ system developed by Apple, a Windows™ operating system developed byMicrosoft, or an embedded operating system such as Vxworks™.

In an implementation of the present disclosure, the communicationsinterface 330 is configured to establish a communication channel, sothat the user equipment connects to a remote server by using thecommunication channel and downloads data from the remote server. Thecommunications interface 330 may include a communications module such asa wireless local area network (WLAN) module, a Bluetooth module, or abaseband module, and a radio frequency (RF) circuit corresponding to thecommunications module, and is configured to perform wireless local areanetwork communication, Bluetooth communication, infrared communication,and/or communication of a cellular communications system, for example,Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) and/or High SpeedDownlink Packet Access (HSDPA). The communications module is configuredto control communication of components in the electronic device, andsupports direct memory access.

In an implementation of the present disclosure, the processor 310 isconfigured to determine, based on connection parameter informationcorresponding to at least one existing PDN connection, whether a targetPDN connection satisfying a target connection condition exists in the atleast one existing PDN connection. The memory 320 may be configured tostore the connection parameter information corresponding to the at leastone existing PDN connection. The processor 310 is further configured to:when the target PDN connection satisfying the target connectioncondition exists, transmit a service packet by using the communicationsinterface 330 and the target PDN connection. The processor 310 isfurther configured to: when the target PDN connection satisfying thetarget connection condition does not exist, initiate, by using thecommunications interface 330, establishment of the target PDN connectionsatisfying the target connection condition, to transmit a service packetby using the established target PDN connection.

The connection parameter information includes at least one of a locationarea, a service feature indicator, and a priority. The priority is apriority of a PDN connection selected as the target PDN connection. Thetarget PDN connection satisfying the target connection conditionsatisfies one or more of the following conditions: a location areacorresponding to the target PDN connection is or includes a currentlocation of the user equipment; a service feature indicatorcorresponding to the target PDN connection satisfies a service featurecondition required by a service flow; and the target PDN connection hasa highest selection priority.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the connection parameterinformation corresponding to the at least one existing PDN connection isobtained from a control plane network element in a process ofestablishing each PDN connection, or is obtained from a broadcastmessage of a wireless access point, or is obtained by the user equipmentfrom an access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) server.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, that the processor 310initiates, by using the communications interface 330, establishment ofthe target PDN connection satisfying the target connection condition maybe: the processor 310 sends a PDN connection establishment request tothe control plane network element by using the communications interface330. The PDN connection establishment request may include the currentlocation of the user equipment, and the current location of the userequipment is used to select a forwarding plane network element.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 310 in theuser equipment may execute any one or more of the steps orimplementations of the path processing method shown in FIG. 3. This isnot limited in this embodiment of the present disclosure.

In an embodiment, an embodiment of the present disclosure furtherdiscloses a computer storage medium, where the computer storage mediumstores a computer program. When the computer program in the computerstorage medium is read to a computer, the computer is enabled tocomplete all steps of the path processing method disclosed in thisembodiment of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that, for brief description, the foregoing methodembodiments are represented as a series of actions. However, a personskilled in the art should appreciate that the present disclosure is notlimited to the described order of the actions, because according to thepresent disclosure, some steps may be performed in other orders orsimultaneously. In addition, a person skilled in the art should alsoappreciate that all the embodiments described in the specification areexample embodiments, and the related actions and modules are notnecessarily mandatory to the present disclosure.

A person of ordinary skill in the art may understand that all or some ofthe steps of the methods in the embodiments may be implemented by aprogram instructing relevant hardware. The program may be stored in acomputer readable storage medium. The storage medium may include a flashmemory, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), amagnetic disk, and an optical disc.

The foregoing describes in detail the path processing method andapparatus, and the user equipment provided in the embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In this specification, specific examples are used todescribe the principle and implementations of the present disclosure,and the description of the embodiments is only intended to helpunderstand the method and core idea of the present disclosure. Inaddition, a person of ordinary skill in the art may, based on the ideaof the present disclosure, make modifications with respect to thespecific implementations and the application scope. Therefore, thecontent of this specification shall not be construed as a limitation tothe present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A path processing method, comprising: in responseto a user equipment (UE) initiating a service flow, determining, by theUE based on connection parameter information corresponding to at leastone existing packet data network (PDN) connection, whether there is anexisting target PDN connection satisfying a target connection conditionamong the at least one existing PDN connection, wherein the connectionparameter information comprises a service feature indicator, and aservice feature indicator corresponding to the existing target PDNconnection satisfies a service feature condition required by the serviceflow; and in response to that there is the existing target PDNconnection satisfying the target connection condition, transmitting, bythe UE, a service packet of the service flow using the existing targetPDN connection; and in response to that there is no the existing targetPDN connection satisfying the target connection condition, initiating,by the UE, establishment of a target PDN connection satisfying thetarget connection condition, and transmitting the service packet of theservice flow using the established existing target PDN connection. 2.The method according to claim 1, wherein the service feature indicatorcomprises a latency of a PDN connection.
 3. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the connection parameter information comprises alocation area corresponding to a PDN connection.
 4. The method accordingto claim 3, wherein the existing target PDN connection or the target PDNconnection is a PDN connection when the location area corresponding tothe PDN connection is or comprises a current location of the UE.
 5. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the connection parameterinformation comprises a priority of a PDN connection determined as theexisting target PDN connection.
 6. The method according to claim 5,wherein the existing target PDN connection is a PDN connection or thetarget PDN connection that has a highest priority.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the connection parameter informationcorresponding to the at least one existing PDN connection is obtainedfrom a control plane network element in a process of establishing eachPDN connection.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein initiatingthe establishment of the target PDN connection satisfying the targetconnection condition comprises: sending, by the UE, a PDN connectionestablishment request to a control plane network element, wherein thePDN connection establishment request comprises the service featurecondition required by the service flow, and the service featurecondition required by the service flow is used for selection of aforwarding plane network element.
 9. An apparatus, comprising: aprocessor; and a memory storing a program to be executed by theprocessor, the program comprising instructions that, when executed bythe processor, cause the processor to: in response to a user equipment(UE) initiating a service flow, determine, based on connection parameterinformation corresponding to at least one existing packet data network(PDN) connection, whether there is an existing target PDN connectionsatisfying a target connection condition among the at least one existingpacket data network (PDN) connection, wherein the connection parameterinformation comprises a service feature indicator, and a service featureindicator corresponding to the existing target PDN connection satisfiesa service feature condition required by the service flow; and inresponse to that there is the existing target PDN connection satisfyingthe target connection condition, transmit a service packet of theservice flow using the communications interface and the existing targetPDN connection; and in response to that there is no the existing targetPDN connection satisfying the target connection condition, initiateestablishment of a target PDN connection satisfying the targetconnection condition, and transmit the service packet of the serviceflow using the established target PDN connection.
 10. The apparatusaccording to claim 9, wherein the service feature indicator comprises alatency of a PDN connection.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 9,wherein the connection parameter information comprises a location areacorresponding to a PDN connection.
 12. The apparatus according to claim11, wherein the target PDN connection or the existing target PDNconnection is a PDN connection when the location area corresponding tothe PDN connection is or comprises a current location of the userequipment.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein theconnection parameter information comprises a priority of a PDNconnection determined as the existing target PDN connection.
 14. Theapparatus according to claim 13, wherein the target PDN connection orthe existing target PDN connection is a PDN connection that has ahighest priority.
 15. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein theconnection parameter information corresponding to the at least oneexisting PDN connection is obtained from a control plane network elementin a process of establishing each PDN connection.
 16. The apparatusaccording to claim 9, wherein to initiate the establishment of thetarget PDN connection satisfying the target connection condition, theprocessor is configured to send a PDN connection establishment requestto a control plane network element, wherein the PDN connectionestablishment request comprises the service feature condition requiredby the service flow, and the service feature condition required by theservice flow is used for selection of a forwarding plane networkelement.
 17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computerinstructions for execution by one or more processors, wherein thecomputer instructions instruct the one or more processors to performsteps comprising: in response to a user equipment (UE) initiating aservice flow, determining, based on connection parameter informationcorresponding to at least one existing packet data network (PDN)connection, whether there is an existing target PDN connectionsatisfying a target connection condition among the at least one existingPDN connection, wherein the connection parameter information comprises aservice feature indicator, and a service feature indicator correspondingto the existing target PDN connection satisfies a service featurecondition required by the service flow; and in response to that there isthe existing target PDN connection satisfying the target connectioncondition, transmitting, a service packet of the service flow using theexisting target PDN connection; and in response to that there is no theexisting target PDN connection satisfying the target connectioncondition, initiating, establishment of a target PDN connectionsatisfying the target connection condition, and transmitting the servicepacket of the service flow using the established target PDN connection.18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 17,wherein the service feature indicator comprises a latency of a PDNconnection.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according toclaim 17, wherein the initiating the establishment of the target PDNconnection satisfying the target connection condition comprises: sendinga PDN connection establishment request to a control plane networkelement, wherein the PDN connection establishment request comprises theservice feature condition required by the service flow, and the servicefeature condition required by the service flow is used for selection ofa forwarding plane network element.